Solitarios
by TurtleLynn
Summary: The kind man. The coin man. The dark man. And the boy. Four men. One young, three old. All after one thing. The girl.
1. Chapter 1: White Coats

**Hello to anyone who's read my previous story** ** _Call Me Names_** **. I wanted to let you guys know that that story has been deleted. I didn't delete it, and I'm pretty sure the website hasn't glitched, so the only other option is that my editor (ex-friend) deleted it. He also deleted all of the saved chapters I had, including my newest one. So now I have this. I'm not sure about it, seeing as this character is new, but your feedback is much appreciated. Thanks guys.**

* * *

The silent sound of loneliness was prominent in the dark building.

The darkness made it all that much worse.

The gentle creaking of rusted metal could be heard along with the dripping of water as well.

In the center of the dark building, surrounded by the rusted metal, was a little girl. She really wasn't all that little, only small in size. She sat atop a rusted swing in a large cage, resembling a canary. She often thought it to be cliché, but she didn't have a choice.

Trapped like a little bird, was the little girl known as River.

Her captors thought her name was hilarious, or at least that's what they said when they teased her. "Little River Song," they'd say. "Sing for us Little River Song," they'd say.

Or at least that's what they _used_ to say.

The strong metallic scent of blood now filled the building. A single spotlight shown down on her from above, illuminating her grey hair and white body suit. Her bangs casted a shadow over her face, blocking whatever could have been seen. But the spotlight also illuminated the tens of headless bodies on the floor. Blood, bone, muscle and brain matter was scattered all across the large cement room.

River hummed a quiet melody as she gently swung back and forth. Her swing creaked as it went forward, growing silent as it went back. She crossed her feet at the ankles gripped the chains of her swing harder, turning her already pale knuckles white. Her humming stopped abruptly when she heard the shouting from behind the metal door, and then it was kicked open.

Countless pairs of eyes flickered across the bodies on the floor before finally settling on the girl in the cage. A brave officer shined his flashlight into her face, illuminating deadly ice blue eyes.

"Who are you?"

The brave officer with the flashlight asked. She grinned at him, pearly whites seeming to sparkle in the beam. Her voice was like silk when she spoke, and from the looks of adoration on the younger officers' faces, she knew she hadn't lost her touch.

"I'll only tell if you do."

"My name is Commissioner Gordon."

She grinned innocently at him, masking her malice behind it.

"I am the Little River Song…

 _…_ _but you can call me River, Mr. Gordon."_

* * *

 **If anyone caught my Doctor Who reference I'll love you forever.**


	2. Chapter 2: Cozy

Police cars are cozy.

Ice blue eyes stared lazily out of the window, a happy hum bubbling from her throat as she fiddled with the handcuffs behind her back. They were a nice change from the rope that usually bound her wrists. Mr. Gordon and his fat friend sat in the front seat of the car while she sat in the back, and the two in the front would sometimes make silent conversation.

She didn't like the fat one.

"So do you understand why we have to take you to jail?" Mr. Gordon asked her, ice blue eyes locking with a grayer shade. She stopped her humming and brought her bottom lip between her teeth in thought.

"It's because I put the white coats to sleep, yes?" The man who sat in front of her sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before responding. "Those were government workers. They were supposed to keep you safe." A frown spread across her face and her eyes filled with deathly malice as he spoke.

"Yes," she muttered bitterly, "because shoving a little girl in a cage and making her sing for you is _totally_ keeping her safe."

She watched the two men share a look and then pull into the parking lot of what looked like a police station. The older man helped her out while the fat man just waddled inside. She found herself giggling at his obesity. "Is he part duck?" she asked the bearded man as he brought her inside. He responded with a shrug, and her giggles only grew.

* * *

Interrogation boxes are not cozy.

They're ugly and gray and they smell _disgusting._

River scowled at the police officer before her, blue eyes burning into his soul. Only metaphorically, of course. If she really wanted to get into his soul all she had to do was sing. Men are stupid.

"What is your name?" The man asked her, and her scowl only continued to deepen.

Who did this man think he was?

Her father?

Her body shot forward as insane laughter ripped from her system, the idea of a _father_ so foreign to her that it made her laugh. Fathers are just guilty men who feel obliged to watch their spawn. Or they can be promise breaker who never come back.

 ** _Ever._**

Her laughter died in an instant and she stared at the man before her dully, all amusement lost from her body. She'd never forgive the man who left her there. Left her for a boy. Males cannot be trusted.

She hardy registered when they began to move her body towards a van, a big white van. She began snickering again at the sight of it. "Come on guys, don't stoop so low as to pedophile me." One of her guards, she's not sure which, smacked her in the back of the head and told her to shut up.

Woah.

Hold the fuck up there, bud.

An animalistic growl rumbled in the back of her throat as her eyes went from mirthful to deadly. "It's not _nice_ to hit people. Maybe I should just sing you to sleep too." Just as she opened her mouth to sing, a muzzle was slapped across her face and tightened to the point where she couldn't open her mouth.

So that's how they wanted to play?

With another growl she had ducked from their grip and grabbed his arm, hoisting herself up and locking her legs around one of the guards' necks. She twisted her hips until she heard a satisfying snap and then propelled herself from his dead body to another guard's. Hands that she recognized grabbed her wrists and the male used his body weight to shove her down, and any other available hand strapped her into a straitjacket. Not long after, they'd shoved her into the van.

Well…at least she was cozy.

* * *

Arkham Asylum stinks, she concluded rather quickly.

The food sucks, they make you wear such tacky colors, and the lighting made her hair look sickly and oily. Not only that, but they wouldn't take off her straitjacket or her muzzle. They fed her through this weird tube that put food into her stomach for her, and they even bathed her in her jacket.

In a nut shell, she hated it.

However, her straitjacket buddy was amazing.

Ms. Harley Quinn, is what she insisted on being called.

River really liked Ms. Quinn. The blonde lady often told her in high detail about the lovely crimes she and her husband would commit. The older woman was an amazing story teller, though her constant laughter and high pitched voice got annoying.

That's where she was now. Sitting in her cell, listening to her one and only cellmate, Ms. Quinn, go on and on about "Mr. J" or something. Honestly, the gray haired girl had stopped listening quite a while ago.

The sound of a man's voice broke the young teen from her thoughts and she scurried to the glass wall to look at the speaker.

"Heads you stopped talking, tails I shut you up. Permanently."

A shiver went down River's spine and she smiled sickeningly sweet at the deformed man.

This was going to be _fun_.

* * *

 **So what'd you guys think? Hm? Hmmm? Question: What gender should I pair lovely little River with? Male, or female? I have an idea for both but female will be a little challenging to write. Also, help. I like this girl and I don't know how to talk to her ;-;**


	3. Chapter 3: Projectile Pen

These people couldn't get any more stupid, could they?

Putting a girl like herself in a room with some of Gotham's most insane criminals. Yes, they'd put her in a straitjacket. Yes, they'd put her muzzle back on her. That didn't stop the other crazies from communicating with her. That didn't stop her from simply humming a tune and getting what she wanted.

She was literally unstoppable.

However, she'd amuse them for now. She'd play their little game and remain compliant. She'd continue to sit in her own little table in the common room, and she'd continue to watch everyone else.

The white chair across from her was pulled out with a screech and turned around, the man with the coin sitting down in front of her. He didn't look natural in the Arkham issued clothes. He just didn't fit in bright orange.

Half of his face grinned at her, while the other side seemed to smirk. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a laugh from the clown man who sat on the other side of the room. The coin man rolled his hazel eyes and turned back to her, the same attempted smile on his faces.

"Hello, little girl." He drawled, resting his chin on his folded hands. She blinked at him twice before raising an eyebrow, telling him to go on through her face. His smile grew and he leaned farther over the table in order to 'whisper'.

"I've heard from a friend of mine that you're here for murder." When he received no response, he continued. "And this friend of mine went into brief detail about your… _abilities_. Now," he licked his lips, or at least the ones that still remained, and leaned in even closer. "If you'd be willing to work for me, I could help you get revenge on whoever you want. And if you don't want revenge, I can give you just about whatever."

"You see," his eyes flickered to the name tag she'd been forced to wear before looking back at her eyes. "River, you have powers that would be unbelievably useful to my cause. You can help me reshape Gotham. You can help me reshape the world. In return I'd give you whatever the hell you want. Money, boys, girls if you swing that way, whatever. It's your pick." She stared at him for a while, just letting the silence linger in the air. She could tell he was getting frustrated from the way his left eye was beginning to shake. This was what she wanted though. This would prove whether or not he was being genuine.

He stood up quickly after a few minutes of silence and glared lightly down at her.

"You have a week to make up your mind." He murmured, flipping his coin for emphasis. _"_ _Choose wisely."_

She snorted in amusement at his pathetic attempt to threaten her. This man didn't know what she was capable of no matter who his source was. Nobody knew what she was capable of. She'd never shown anyone, and anyone who saw ended up dead. So this man could try all he wanted to make her tremble. To make her _submit_. He would never succeed and that was final.

* * *

River felt her heart shatter into smithereens when she glimpsed at the TV in the corner of her therapist's room. Waving happily with two little boys by his side was none other than the man who had gotten her trapped with those horrid white coats in the first place. He looked stupid, she concluded bitterly. His sons were adorable, but the man himself looked stupid. Her body shook lightly with anger before she called herself, returning her attention to the lady who sat in front of her. The red-headed woman tried to smile as nicely as she could, but River saw the pity in her eyes.

Her small hands were cuffed to the desk by her wrists, and an officer stood behind her with a gun pressed to her back.

Safety at its finest.

"Hello, River." The lady chirped, pulling out a pen and paper for the younger to write her responses on. River would've smiled at her mistake, but the muzzle wouldn't let her. She allowed false fear to fill her eyes and sent the therapist a pleading look. The red haired woman, who was fairly new at her job, fell for it. "Take your gun off her back, sir. You're scaring her."

As soon as the man had holstered his gun, River grabbed the pen and threw it forward. The writing utensil drilled through the woman's eyes socket and into her brain, killing her almost instantly. Her wrists tensed and relaxed and the cuffs came off, allowing her to flip over the back of the chair in record time and slam her fists into the guard's throat. She continued to tighten her grip, ice blue eyes lighting up at the chocking noises he made. A sharp pain in her side knocked the breath from her lungs and she tumbled off of the man, hands flying to her side.

The clothes she was wearing became sticky with blood and in a matter of moments she had drawn the conclusion that she'd been shot. When she felt something sharp sticking from her hip, she began to think differently. A man in black fizzled into her blurring vision and bent down near her, pulling the sharp thing from her side. Her lips twitched downward when she saw the regret hidden on his face. The way his mouth twitched gave it away. She breathed in harshly through her nose when something gently pricked her side, and her world began to fade.

Her decision was a little bit easier to make now.


	4. Chapter 4: Confinement

_**6 Days Left**_

She found herself laughing behind the muzzle, having to stop at certain points due to the fact that she could only breathe through her nose. Here she was, locked in a padded room with no lights. It was just another cage, in all honesty. Shallow laughter shuddered from her body and she doubled over, only to lose her balance and almost land on her face. She rolled over her shoulder at the last minute, and gave up half way to lay flat on her back.

Her fists clenched inside of her straitjacket and she arched her back off the ground in sick humor.

" _Cage after cage after cage!"_ She chanted in her mind, _"When will the little bird finally be free?!"_

She sat up and began to rock herself, humming the tune to a song she'd thought of years ago as she did.

 _Baby broken River Song_

 _Washed up and alone._

 _Lost without her mother's arms,_

 _Where can she call home?_

 _Keeping things locked in her head,_

 _Like monsters underneath her bed,_

 _Little baby River Song_

 _Sings until the blood is-_

The door to her little cage swung open, bringing blinding white light with it. A man with jet black hair stood in the doorway, a white lab coat around his lanky frame and a plate with a syringe in his hand.

"Dinner."

He muttered simply, pulling the syringe from the plate he bent down and lifted up her straitjacket He set the plate on the ground and lifted up her shirt to inject it into the veins on her stomach. She shuddered involuntarily and glared daggers at the man, imagining his head exploding from his shoulders like it should've been. He didn't need to touch her there. It was unnecessary and the chilling smile he wore told her that he knew it too.

"Be a good girl, Little River Song."

Her body began convulsing with rage as he backed out of the room, closing the door behind him with that same chilling grin on his face. His brown eyes that sparked with lust still haunted her mind even after the door had shut and his footsteps had receded. Her convulsions continued as rage and disgust trickled through her veins and into her heart. Those feelings settled there and began to dig the hole that was in her heart deeper and deeper still.

She _hated_ this room.

* * *

 _ **0 Days Left**_

When her eyes fluttered open the next morning, she felt disgusting. Her clothes were twisted at all angles and a cold feeling wouldn't leave her skin alone. But above all of that, she could still _feel_ his hands. She threw up in her mouth a little bit and had to swallow the disgusting substance back down before she could think properly again.

That man had touched her. That much was obvious. He probably touched her much farther than he should've too. He shouldn't touch her at all. She stood up from the little cot and got as far away from it as possible, running across the room. She took one step too many, however, and the crashing sound on the wall in front of her made her freeze.

Something was in here with her.

Fear pulsed through her veins as she held still, a small whimpering coming from throat when whatever it was began to wrap around her legs. It was cold and scaly and it smelled like _shit_. It continued up her body until it began to tighten around her neck, and by this point silent tears had begun running down her face.

She was going to _die_.

Sobs began to escape from her throat and wheezed breaths left her nose as she felt it breathe in her ear and a tongue flicker across her ear.

 _Snake._

It was a _snake_.

She was _terrified_ of snakes.

River began to hum to it softly, praying upon whatever was out there that that stupid movie she'd watched as a child was accurate. Her vocal cords made the sounds of a flute, only being interrupted by the occasional sob or shuddered breath. She couldn't remember what the instrument the snake charmer had used was but she hoped this would work. She needed it to work.

When the snake began to unravel itself from her did she begin to calm down, but the racing of her heart did not stop. It was still in here, and it could still see her.

But the only damn problem was she couldn't see it!

When the door opened and the black haired man stepped in, she was both grateful and terrified. She could finally see the snake that still lay dormant around her ankles, but the black haired man was here. A whimper escaped her throat and the snake stirred below her, a rattle beginning to sound from behind her.

Icy blue eyes went wide when she realized what it was. But if it was a rattle snake, why was it so big?!

The over-sized snake sprang from the floor and sank its fangs into the man's throat, injecting venom into his veins. It unlatched itself and gave a small hiss before slithering back to her and curling up around her shoulder.

What

The actual

Fuck.

Watching the black haired man die of poison on the floor was unbelievably satisfying. The way he withered in pain while quietly trying to call for help was like a drug. It was her nicotine. The snake on her shoulders fell off and slithered into a corner the light from the door didn't reach. It began to slither backwards towards her, a task that made her really begin to question what kind of snake it was. When its head finally reached the light, she could see what it was holding in its mouth.

A shard of a plate. That must've been what she heard crash against the wall earlier. It placed the shard by her feet and then slithered out the door and out of sight. A few distant screams were heard and the sound of clipboards dropping notified her that the snake was heading in the direction of the common room.

And then all sound ceased.

She sat down on the floor and began cutting the straps of her jacket with the shard. It was difficult and took what felt like ages, but she did it. When she was done she reached up to her face and undid the muzzle's straps, a breath of relief passing her lips when they were finally free. She laughed a real laugh this time, and although her voice was scratchy. It was music to her ears.

A knock on the door pulled her from her happiness and she turned to see the coin man standing there.

"I hate to interrupt your little happy party, but its time to make your decision." She sputtered, rolling up the sleeves of her jacket and staring at him with wide eyes. "But you said I had a week!"

When the insane man looked at her with sad eyes, she knew something had gone wrong. "Little girl," he murmured, hazel eyes glancing at the floor. "What kind of drugs did they put in you?" She began to tear up but held the water works back, instead plastering a false smirk on her face and folding the sleeves of her new jacket up to her elbows.

"My decision?" She questioned, putting false pep in her step and skipping over to him. He grinned sadistically at her and pulled his coin out. "Heads you come with me, tails you stay here and die."

Well.

That was morbid.

He flipped it and she held her breath, flinging her sleeves down so they were long again and covering her mouth with them. He caught it, flipped it over, and slammed it on his wrist.

 _Heads_.

She sighed in relief and smiled up at him, her smile faltering slightly when he held out a detonator to her. Her smirk became real and she took it from him, a giggle leaving her throat as he grabbed her wrist and began dragging her out of the room.

Out of the building.

 _Out of this cage._


	5. Chapter 5: Black and White

It was cold when she stepped out of the building, and the night air blew her gray tresses around her head. The straitjacket and orange jumpsuit on her body just became that much more appealing. The man who stood beside her looked around the area and flipped his coin. He released a breath of air and then gestured the concrete wall that stood tens of feet above them.

"You gonna blow it up?"

She glanced behind them at the large amount of criminals and inhaled deeply. They were depending on her. No one ever depends on her. Her straitjacket buddy giggled beside her and River watched as everyone mingled into their respective groups. The coin man's thugs came towards them, the smiling man's thugs joined their master at a safe distance, and everyone else stayed in their own group.

"Blow open the damn wall!" The man beside her bellowed, and that's exactly what she did. She slammed her finger down on the red button and watched in fascination as it exploded into a fiery orange color.

She liked that color.

"Move!" Someone from the crowd barked, and everyone ran in their own direction. She followed after the coin man, watching in awe as his lackeys surrounded the two of them in a protective circle. She felt important. The coin man climbed into a waiting car and yanked her in after him. The group of men that had protected them climbed into a van behind the car. The vehicles sped away from the smoldering wall and she squealed in surprise, grabbing the handle and clinging to it.

The man beside her chuckled at her reaction darkly, and the man in the front seat handed him a cigarette and a lighter. His smoke filled the car and the petite teenager would've coughed if she wasn't already used to this type of thing. After all, the same smoke had filled her lungs not long before she was taken from her first cage.

"Now," the man beside her drawled, releasing a breath of smoke almost directly in her face. "You've got a contract to sign when we get where we're going. It binds you to secrecy, says you give your life to me, blah blah blah." She raised an eyebrow but motioned for him to continue, a breath of frustration floating from her chapped lips. "And I'll be able to sell you off to whoever I want. You're like my own personal slut. But I won't try and fuck ya. I'm not that sick."

She snickered softly and plucked the cigarette from his lips, taking a drag of it and passing it back to him.

Bad idea.

She breathed the smoke out and held back her coughing fit before stating what was on her mind.

"I'd like you to know that if your treatment to me is deemed unacceptable by yours truly, I will kill you. You said it yourself, my powers can do great things. And I'm sure the public wouldn't mind you being gone. Anyway, I'd like a stash of Russian vodka, from Russia, if you didn't get that. And if your men try and harass me, or sexually assault me, I'll kill them too."

They stared at each other for a second, and then a gun was pressed to her temple. She simply raised an eyebrow when the man pulled out his coin.

"Heads we agree, tails we don't. And you can guess what the hell happens if we don't."

She grinned evilly at him, and coated her vocal cords with the special venom that would bend any person to her will. "Or," she began, smiling a sickly sweet smile as his eyes faded from hazel to icy blue. "You can put down the gun, put away the coin, and agree to my terms regardless." He put the gun away along with his coin, and murmured a quiet 'I agree' before his eyes returned to normal.

"What did you…what the fuck did you do?" She smiled innocently at him, clasping her hands in her lap. "You agreed to my terms and I agreed to yours. That's all that matters." He looked like he wanted to protest but then the car stopped and the female jumped out. She stared up at the warehouse with wide eyes.

"Nice place."

He grabbed her wrist harshly and dragged her inside, handing her off to the quaking maids as soon as they entered the warehouse. River stared around her in awe of the room she was in. The entire place was built almost like a mansion, with stairs and everything.

The trembling maids began to pull her up the grand stair case and to the left once they reached the landing. The females pulled her down multiple hallways until they finally reached a large door.

A large door with multiple locks on it.

She grimaced at the sight of them but her mouth fell open at the sight of the room. It was dark, the walls were gray, and the furniture was black. It was perfect.

The maids took her over to the vanity mirror on the far wall and sat her down in the plush chair and began to get out products and smelly chemicals.

There were three maids in her room right now. A blonde one, one who was seemingly couldn't speak English, and one who didn't seem much older than herself.

"What are your names?" She asked them softly, fiddling with the sleeves of her straitjacket.

This was her new favorite jacket.

The blonde introduced them all, starting with herself and ending with the youngest maid. "I'm Jasmine. This is Adeline, and that's Paola." River looked up in the mirror and made eye contact with Paola, the Adeline, and finally Jasmine. "Thank you for taking care of me." She whispered softly, and the three older females smiled in response.

* * *

She stared at her new monochrome hair in awe, swirling the black half and white half until they blurred into separate circles of shadow and light. Her new clothes, although slutty, were nice. She really liked them. Her clothes were black and white as well. Her maid looking outfit barely covered her thighs, and the fishnet stocking didn't help either. She wore simple ankle boots on her feet, the left being black and the right being white. A gun with the same color scheme was strapped to each of her thighs.

But the long-lasting makeup had been washed off by Paola, revealing the long scar that ran diagonally across her face. It barely missed her left eyebrow and then stretched down to the corner of her mouth.

Black gloved hands reached forward and picked up the black and white skull mask from the vanity mirror. She gently traced the delicate lines of the paint and smiled softly.

A knock at the door pulled her from her mind and she turned around to face the female who stuck her head in. Paola winked at her, and River winked back. The two of them had become fast friends not long after Paola began to dye her hair.

"The master wishes to speak with you."

River followed the older girl downstairs and slipped her mask over her mouth and nose, smiling in satisfaction when it stopped right above her cheekbones and stuck there. Paola turned back and winked again before throwing open the large oak doors that stood before them.

"She's here!" The Hispanic girl called, her attitude clearly screaming that she gave no fucks. River walked out from behind her and waved as she left, before turning to face the man who had rescued her.

And his many armed friends.

The coin man, now dressed in a half black and half white suit grinned at her, letting out a low whistle and gesturing for her to twirl for him. She did as requested and skipped over to him, taking the pen from his hand. He gestured to where she had to sign, and after scanning the document for small print, sign it she did.

She finished signing and turned to grin at the coin man, watching as he loaded a gun and slipped it into his suit. He offered her his arm and they began walking towards multiple armored vans, getting in first and then yanking her in after him.

"Its your first mission, Little River Song. And I need something to call you."

"Call me Skully."

He snorted, and pulled a cigar from his suit pocket. "How original." She glared at him, and opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off with a simple sway of his finger.

 _"_ _Its your first mission Skully, don't mess it up."_


	6. Chapter 6: Liars

**This chapter is a little confusing, and it was confusing writing it. There's something wrong with my mind currently, and this is the awkward birth child it created. Anything like** ** _this_** **is a flashback, and everything else is normal. This kind of fades in and out of a flashback and real time for River.**

* * *

"Your name is awful."

The teenager shrugged and fiddled with the cash they'd gotten from the heist they'd just pulled.

"Well what the fuck do you want my name to be?" The coin man snorted and took a drag of his cigar, and she could feel his eyes burning into her back. "Someone's pissy." She scowled and closed her money in a small bag, throwing it over her shoulder. "Of course I'm 'pissy'. You killed an innocent woman."

The man snorted again and stubbed his death stick out before standing and walking after her.

"That's my job little girl. That's your job too. And if I remember correctly, you killed an innocent woman too. Didn't your little therapist end up with a pen lodged in her eye?" A growl rose from her throat and she turned to him, a fire burning in her eyes.

 ** _"_** ** _Mommy look! The moon just ate the sun!"_**

 ** _A woman laughed softly and a man chuckled afterwards._**

 ** _"_** ** _No silly girl," the woman whispered. "It's just an eclipse."_**

The fire died and her eyes dulled, only to be replaced by an insane gleam.

"I have a new name. Its _so_ much better than my old one." The man raised his only eyebrow at her but motioned for her to go on. "I was thinking something like Eclipse." Two-Face slid his coin in and out of his fingers before blowing a puff from between his lips.

"It's whatever the hell you want, sweetheart. You're the one making a name for yourself, not me."

She watched him walk away and the light in her eyes burned lower, the insane gleam leaving and being replaced by a sober expression. The way he walked reminded her of the way her father had, and the way his eyes shone reminded her of her mother. And although this man was the exact opposite of both of them, he was as close to them as she'd ever be again.

Footsteps echoed around the corner and the Hispanic girl came into her view. The elder girl's expression lit up but quickly dropped into one of concern. She picked up her leisurely walk into a jog and stopped in front of the shorter girl and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright River?"

 ** _"_** ** _Mommy I'm scared. Why did the moon eclis…eclisp…eclipse the sun?"_**

 ** _The same laugh sounded again before the woman answered. "It's a part of life, sweetheart."_**

 ** _There was a moment of silence, and then screams could be heard._**

 ** _"_** ** _Daddy…Daddy why are you crying?"_**

"It's nothing."

The older girl frowned and began to pull the younger towards her quarters.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Of course."

 _Not._

* * *

 ** _"_** ** _I'm so sorry." The man whispered. The little girl should've been confused, but she learned that confusion was a weakness a long time ago. She knew what was happening._**

 ** _"_** ** _Why would you do this?" Her mother hissed, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders. "We could've escaped." Her father shook his head solemnly and pulled a gun from his jacket. "They offered me something I couldn't resist. Sorry."_**

 ** _Her mother's grip on her shoulders tightened and River could sense the tension growing in the air as the screams got closer. They were soon accompanied by gunshots._**

 ** _"_** ** _They offered you that little slut you've been running off to, haven't they. You couldn't handle being a father or a husband so you went and took your pent up stress out on some whore."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Kitty is not a whore!"_**

 ** _Her mother laughed a cold and bitter laugh and raised her free hand to aim it at River's father. The little girl could only watch helplessly as black and white sparkles began to engulf her father._**

 ** _"_** ** _Of course she's not. That's why her name is Kitty."_**

 ** _The sparkled turned into spikes and began to pierce her father, ruby liquid gushing from the places they cut him open. He made gurgles as blood bubbled from his mouth and dripped down his chin. River's body began to feel lighter, her eyes brighter, her mind wilder._**

 ** _Liars get punished._**

 ** _A gunshot rang out and the sparkles stopped, and her mother tumbled forward. River turned to stare at her mother's corpse before slowly bringing her gaze to the armed men in the doorway of the observatory. They were armed with knives, guns, grenades, anything and everything._**

 ** _And her mother was dead._**

 ** _River fell to her knees and a shrill scream ripped from her throat. Tears began to glide down her cheeks while the armed men covered their ears as if that would save them. Her vocal cords trembled and she brought her arms over her head, curling into a ball as she continued to scream. Her voice became shriller and she blocked out the rest of the world, her thin lips beginning to crack as her mouth stretched farther and farther._**

 ** _A splattering sound broke her from her hysteria and she stopped screaming, the sound being replaced by her heavy sobs. She stared at the men who had pink matter oozing from their ears, and each one laid on the floor unmoving. Not breathing._**

 ** _She crawled over to her mother and stared into icy blue eyes that matched her own, though the eyes of her mother were now dull and lifeless. The small child crawled under her mother arm and nuzzled her head against the unmoving chest of the woman whose heartbeat had helped her sleep for all these years._**

 ** _She cried for what seemed like ages before the police finally came, and when they attempted to pull her away from her mother she clenched her small fists into the fabric of her shirt and didn't let go. A nice man finally coaxed her away from her mother and tucked the little girl in his jacket before picking her up and carrying to his police car._**

 ** _"_** ** _You'll be okay, sweetheart."_**

 _But that was the problem._

 _Her heart had lost it's sweetness years ago._

* * *

 **So yeah. A bit of River's backstory. If anyone needs me to clear anything up, leave me a review and I'll help you out :3 Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7: Roses

When her eyes opened the next morning, they were more vibrant than when she'd closed them. She had a new purpose. Her memory turned dream had allowed her to look back at what made her the girl she is today. It woke her up from whatever distorted reality she'd been living in and made her new. She dressed herself in only sweatpants and a sports bra, sipping down the stairs afterwards to tell her master she'd be training. He only waved a hand to dismiss her, turning his eyes back to the female who sat delicately on his lap.

River turned her eyes away from his and his woman, pushing back the feelings of anger and betrayal that built up inside of her. He was a lot like her father, now that she thought about it more. He was like her mother too. Both of her parents were twisted and cruel. Both of her parents loved her.

They just never loved each other.

She pulled her dual-colored hair back into a messy ponytail, frowning when her forehead began to strain from the pull of the elastic. She wrapped her hands in bandages and slipped the boxing gloves on afterwards, stopping briefly to stare at her arms and stomach.

The exposed skin lacked the muscle she'd once had, but it was also littered with small, barely noticeable scars. Her guts twisted at the thought of the doctor from Arkham. He'd violated her. She didn't know how far he'd gone; all she knew was that he did. One fist slammed into the punching bag after another, and soon she was bringing her bare feet into it as well. Her mind wandered to the people she'd met the night before.

Well, more so saw than met.

The coin man had made her hide when they'd shown up, and she wasn't sure if it was out of concern or tactical purpose. He hadn't acknowledged her position, but she had a feeling the man that the coin man was confronting already knew.

The dark man.

He'd frightened her, but he'd also brought about an unnatural anger. She'd seen him before, she knew it, but she couldn't remember where.

A sharp pain rocketed through her side and she stopped all movement, sucking in a breath and bringing a hand to her hip. She looked down and moved the hand away, staring wide-eyed at the jagged scar that stared back at her.

And just like that, she knew.

The dark man had been there when she killed her therapist. The dark man had thrown something sharp at her and lodged it into her side. The dark man had felt _bad_ for what he did. But Two-Face said the dark man felt no remorse. The dark man was a menace. The dark man would get in the way of their plans. The dark man caused their people pain for no reason. The dark man _the dark man_ _**the dark man**_ _**the dark man.**_

 _Then why…_

* * *

 **One Week Later**

 **November 12, 2009**

The coin man was giving her away today. The smiling man, the one with the crazy laugh who was "acquaintances" with her straitjacket buddy, wanted to use her for a job.

A crash a party job.

She felt ecstatic at the thought of going to a party, even if it was to blow it up. The smiling man had said it was a rich people party, so there'd be nice foods there. He'd said their main target was the youngest Wayne.

 _Wayne._

The name put a horrid taste in her mouth. The liar had done what her dad did. Though, now that she thought about it, he went about it a little better than her father had. He wasn't married; he didn't have any kids of his own-

" _That he knows about."_ She scoffed in her head as she slipped her mask on.

That man had probably fathered a couple children without even realizing it. But today she was going to take his youngest that he'd adopted, play with his emotions, crush him the way he'd done to her all those years ago. She wouldn't kill his son, for he'd done nothing. In fact, she'd probably risk her life so protect him. It was his snobby "father" she had a problem with.

"Action!"

Eclipse crashed through the oversized windows of the hotel, a large smile behind her mask that made her eyes crinkle. She held her darker pistol in the air and fired, watching at people began to run in fear. Icy blue eyes looked upwards and she frowned, watching as the boy they'd come here for was dragged away by his brother and "father".

She elbowed the smiling man and gestured to them, taking great pleasure in the smile that stretched upon his lips. He raised his gun and fired at the door, and she watched as they flinched when it landed beside the head of the youngest. The whole hall fell silent.

"Well don't leave yet, the fun's just started." Harley cartwheeled through the ground of people and Eclipse followed after her, giggles bubbling past her lips as the crowd watched them with growing expressions of fear and confusion.

"What'dya want!?"

And just like that, Eclipse's mood changed. The smile fell from her face and she turned slowly towards the man who'd called out to her. His brief moment of courage would only get him punished. She stalked towards him and grabbed his tie, pulling it down and tightening it. Her vocal cords shifted until her voice was sweet and sultry, the exact opposite of her expression.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to speak when you're spoken to?"

She watched his eyes begin to close before she released his tie, giving him enough time to suck in a breath of air before she carried on with her next actions. She grabbed his shoulders and slammed him downwards as she brought her knee up, not even flinching as his nose cracked and blood spewed across her bare knee.

She turned to the horrified crowd, barely registering the hand Harley lovingly placed in her shoulder.

"Well," She half-screeched. "Who the hell's next?!"

When nobody moved she found herself nodding in satisfaction, the giggling from before returning.

"Now then, shall we carry out our mission?" The blonde beside her shrugged and placed her sledgehammer across her shoulders. "Mmm…lemme go help Mr. J unload our… _surprise_ and you can take care of the mission." She rolled the idea in her head for a second before responding with a happy "Sure!" The blonde moved towards the smiling man and they both exited through the window, but the henchmen who had entered with them stayed behind just in case.

Police sirens could be heard in the distance, and Eclipse knew she had to hurry.

She weaved her way in and out of the crowd, occasionally pushing a woman in oversized heels over. She'd snicker every time they hit the floor, and she'd also compliment any person she thought had dressed nicely.

And then she was standing in front of the three dark haired males, icy blue eyes locked with the blue of the eldest. She reached a gloved hand out and snatched the youngest of them towards her, whispering softly in his ear.

" _You don't need to be afraid, little one."_

His body relaxed against hers, head lolling back and eyes going half-lidded. A lazy smile stretched across his lips, and she felt her heart lighten at the comfort his presence brought her. When the other son moved to reach for him, she took a gun from her thigh and aimed it at his head. He froze, and her breath released in satisfaction.

Her icy eyes slowly moved from the deep blue eyes of the oldest son to the blue of his father. She smiled at him, and evil smile that showed him just how much pain she was in.

"Do you remember me, Bruce?"

The recognition in his eyes turned her smile into a poisonous smirk. He reached his hand out to her but she shook her head, giggling when Harley's arms came around her shoulders and pointed two guns at his head.

"We really should go now, Eclipse. Mr. J is waiting for us." The dual-haired girl backed away from the two males, keeping the third in her grasp and humming softly in his ear. His body stayed relaxed against hers, and she knew he didn't have the slightest clue what was going on. She felt bad about what was going to happen to him, but at the same time she was fine with it.

As long as he didn't get hurt.

The Joker's men tied up the little boy, and as soon as he stepped away from her the spell broke. He began struggling, belting profanities at the grown men. One punched him and he fell unconscious. She growled softly, hand clenching around the gun in her hand and raising it towards the man who hit him.

She could do it. The man had no family, at least none that cared for him. He had no kids, he had no one waiting for him to come home.

And now he had a bullet in its head.

She giggled softly and avoided the green-haired man's gaze, climbing on top of the van and swinging into the front seat. She plopped herself in the passenger's side and slammed her fists against the dashboards, screaming for the man to go. He drove away, and she waited.

* * *

She set the roses in her room on fire, closing the lighter afterwards and dropping it into her dresser drawer. She sat on her bed and watched the petals burn, the ashes fluttering down to her floor or into the vase. River twirled a lock of hair between her fingers, silent tears swelling past her eyelids and dribbling down her cheeks.

To her, these roses symbolized beauty. They symbolized vain beauty, but beauty nonetheless. They symbolized confidence and happiness. The flames were the lies. The creatures inside her mind that clawed their way out of her mouth and into the ears of others. They were Jason's screams. His pained voice that called out for help as the green haired man tortured him.

Her immobile body as she did _nothing_.

The coin man teased her, told her how pathetic she was. Sent her away. She locked herself in her room and set the roses aflame, turned her lights off, and watched the once gorgeous flowers wither away into nothingness. Her room smelled odd now, and the smoke was making her drowsy.

It was nice to be quiet for a change. To watch her worries burn away with the petals of the roses. Her palms were cut from constantly touching the thorns, but she didn't mind. The stinging had subsided when she thought about the look in his eyes. The utter hopelessness.

His blue eyes begging her to save him.

But she didn't.

Not yet.


	8. Chapter 8: The Snake

He'd left her.

The coin man had taken his men and just left her.

Her body was overheating while freezing at the same time, and her mind was tied in knots.

Apparently, he'd found out about her saving Jason. But he honestly should have seen it coming. The teen had done nothing to deserve being tortured, all the Joker wanted him for was leverage.

And River wouldn't stand for it.

So she had broken him out of there and ridden on a wall made of her powers while simultaneously healing his wounds. She could still remember the look in his eyes as he clung to her jacket, the relief that clouded his blue orbs as he let himself relax. She apologized to him and cradled him against her chest, resting his ear against her heart and carding her fingers through his hair. She hadn't expected him to forgive her, and she was not surprised when he didn't. Yet she still let him cling to her, still held him as he drifted into unconsciousness, and still wrapped her jacket around him when she left him lying on his front porch.

But before she left, she knelt down beside him and whispered the words she lived by in his ear.

 _"The innocent are saved, the families are beaten, the unneeded are destroyed."_

* * *

And that was how she ended up here.

Slouched in an alleyway, damaged and scared. She needed help, and if she didn't get it soon, she would die.

The coin man had brought her here to sell her to some other villain, but now she was stranded in some place that had a CCPD. The coin man didn't want them to find her, so he'd dumped her into this alleyway and left.

Tears glided down her cheeks and began to clear away the blood and dirt that decorated her face like distorted Christmas ornaments. Her shoulders shook with betrayal and the persistent hissing wasn't helping. Just as she noticed the hissing, the snake from Arkham emerged from the shadows. Her heart sped up only to slow back down again when she saw the friendly brown eyes that had been caring for her for such little time.

"Paola?" She whispered, icy orbs growing wider when the snake winked and began to slither away. Her breathing picked up and she attempted to call out for her only friend, but all the came out was a gurgle of blood. The snake was out of sight by then, and a new wave of tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her chest was on fire and her mind was ice cold. She'd been betrayed and left all over again.

 _ **Just like Mama and Daddy.**_

"Hello?"

Her gaze shot to the end of the alleyway where a boy not much older than herself stood, red goggles pressed against his face. He was before her in a second, and if she could've, she would've screamed. He regarded her through angry eyes, and she guessed he'd figured out who she was. One of his hands pressed against his ear, and he spoke into what was probably a hidden communication device.

"Flash, I've got that new villain from Gotham here. Eclipse, I think her name is. We're in an alley off of East Main. She's injured."

She watched him poke at her wounds, hissing lightly when her poked just a little too deep. But that hiss reminded her of her friend. Her friend who had left. The waterworks started up again and she began to shake, and the flash-boy jumped back and held his hands up in surrender.

"Woah! Hey, don't cry pretty girl! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

At that moment, the Flash decided to show up, her he had pushed the smaller male away and knelt before her in less than a second.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her as he applied pressure to the gunshot wound on her thigh. "The coin man," She choked out, right hand gripping the scarlet man's wrist in pain. "He-he brought me here to sell me...an-nd he fo-ow! He found out what I'd done." The boy in yellow dashed off before returning a few seconds later, a first aid kit in hand. Flash began to try and work the bullet from her thigh, and the black and white sparks began to fill the parts surrounding the bullet in order to numb them. Her powers had finally kicked in again and were beginning to do their job.

"What did he find out? What had you done?" She released his wrist and instead reached up to wipe her tears, though they continued to flow. "I-I saved Way-yne's little boy. They hurt him." Her voice died down to a whisper as her powers began to forcefully shut down her mind. "I didn't think they'd hurt him. He-e didn't do anything wrong. He didn't."

River's mind shut off and unconsciousness claimed her. Her head lolled to the side and gravity soon pulled the rest of her body with it, leaving her savior to catch her and keep her head from hitting the pavement. The two speedsters shared a look and Flash offered his protégée an awkward smile as he picked the girl up and stood.

"Batman's probably gonna want to hear about this, huh Kid."

* * *

 **Hi. This will be my second hi to you if you've read my newest chapter of another one of my stories. I apologize for not updating like I should, but I recently haven't been feeling it. Life hasn't exactly dealt me the greatest hand of cards this past little while. Anyway, I'll hopefully get my groove back soon. I might start a book of random YJ related oneshots, and it'll probably be from my "The Snow" book. Does that make any sense? I'm not sure anymore. Love you, bye.**


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